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New York. Reigning champion Kim Clijsters progressed into the US Open quarterfinals on Sunday, while third seed Venus Williams booked a date with French Open champion Francesca Schiavone to decide a semifinal spot.

Belgian second seed Clijsters needed only 59 minutes to eliminate former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 6-2, 6-1 for her 18th victory in a row on the Flushing Meadows hard courts.

Clijsters will next meet French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur, who became the first Australian woman in the US Open quarterfinals since Wendy Turnbull in 1986 by defeating Russian 12th seed Elena Dementieva 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-2).

Fifth seed Stosur saved four match points to win the latest-ending women’s match in US Open history at 1:36 in the morning, six minutes beyond the old mark set in 1987 but still 50 minutes off the all-time men’s latest Open night.

“It’s good to make history I guess,” said Stosur, who finished some 14 hours after her next foe.

“I’ve got to recover as best I can and be ready to play [in the quarterfinals],” she added.

Italian sixth seed Schiavone ousted 20th-seeded Russian teen Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-0 in 68 minutes, matching her best US Open showing from 2003 in a year that also saw her win her first Slam in June on Paris clay.

Williams downed Israeli 16th seed Shahar Peer 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. The seven-time Grand Slam champion and two-time US Open winner will carry a 7-0 career edge against Schiavone into their matchup.

Clijsters reached her fifth US Open quarterfinal and 17th career Grand Slam quarterfinal by quickly adapting to breezy conditions. She has a 3-0 career edge over Stosur without dropping a set, their most recent meeting coming this year in Miami.

“Sam is a different player than what she was a few years ago. She definitely has improved a lot,” Clijsters said.

In men’s action, Rafael Nadal swept into the last 16.

Nadal breezed past Gilles Simon of France 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 as Spanish players dominated the top half of the draw, filling five out of eight places through into the fourth round.

The No. 1 seed will play Spanish compatriot Feliciano Lopez for a place in the quarterfinals. Lopez made it through the next round when opponent Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine abandoned when losing 6-3, 4-0.

In earlier play, Spanish eighth seed Verdasco blasted past Argentina’s David Nalbandian 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, while compatriot and 10th seed David Ferrer ousted another Spaniard, Daniel Gimeno-Traver, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-2.

Verdasco and Ferrer will also meet in the last 16, ensuring that at least one Spanish player will make it to the semifinals.

Tommy Robredo joined them, but in the second quarter of the draw, moving through when French opponent Michael Llodra retired injured when trailing 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 2-1.

Sam Querrey, meanwhile, boosted US hopes by mastering another Spaniard, 14th seed Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

However, it stayed at two Americans left standing in the tournament — Querrey and Mardy Fish — after John Isner lost a night session match 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to tough Russian Mikhail Youzhny.
 

Agence France-Presse